Poison and medicine are the same.

If the purpose of treatment is saved, it becomes medicine, and if it is reversed and the purpose of killing is saved, it becomes poison, but their essence is the same.

The poison of the black scorpion.

It was the same. If used well, it relieves pain by paralyzing the body, and it has the efficacy of a medicinal herb for some diseases.

But what if only the nature of the poison is maximized for the purpose of killing?

It is so fatal that even if you take the antidote bought from a merchant, you cannot avoid being poisoned.

Ku-u-ung!

Cheonyeong lands between Danya and Baekta.

"Cheonyeong!"

"Family Head!"

Danya and Baekta were both surprised at the sight of Cheonyeong, who had jumped into the poison powder in an instant, instead of avoiding it.

You stupid punks, if you have the mind to be surprised, you should have run without looking back.

Or... just shut up!

"Heup!"

Cheonyeong gathers all his strength in his two feet, which had dug deep into the ground.

Ku-u-u-u...

The Samyang True Qi boils up and begins to spread to his four limbs and hundred bones.

Then the wind seeps in.

As a result of the rapidly boiling true qi, the wind wraps around Cheonyeong's body and begins to create a vortex.

Poison. Anyone would be flustered when faced with it.

But if you know how it is used, there are plenty of ways to deal with it.

Poison in powder form... can be dissolved in water or.

"Ha-ap!"

As Cheonyeong lets out a shout and explodes his Samyang True Qi at once, the swirling wind stretches out and turns into a gust.

Hwii-i-i-i!

The poison powder that had filled the air like a dark cloud disappears as if it had cleared, and the clear night sky is revealed.

"...!"

And at that sight, Baihe stands up without realizing it.

"You punk..."

His clenched fist trembles, and in Baihe's eyes, he sees Cheonyeong standing proudly.

"Hwi-u..."

Cheonyeong, who had let out a small sigh, looks at Baihe.

This much poison powder?

He could just blow it away with the wind.

"Danya, Myeongseon."

"Yes, Family Head!"

"Uh-huh?"

"Stay back."

"Huh? You're going to do it alone?"

Cheonyeong nods his head silently, his gaze fixed on Baihe.

"That's not right! Cheonyeong, the number of them..."

Although Baekta tries to stop him, Danya grabs his sleeve and stops him.

"Trust the Family Head."

"...What?"

It was absurd.

When did you become a member of the Tang family to show such trust?

The current situation...

"Myeongseon."

"..."

"Trust me and step back. You don't have the ability to deal with poison anyway."

"That's, that's true, but..."

"I'm fine. I'm completely fed up with poison."

Baekta couldn't say anything at Cheonyeong's grinning face.

Although he had become friends, he was still much younger than him, and he was fed up with poison...

What kind of life has this punk lived?

Although he became curious about his past, Baekta had no choice but to step back.

"Ugh, alright. I see. But the moment I think it's dangerous, I'll interfere first."

"Do as you please."

Cheonyeong erases his smile and waves his hand, and Baekta and Danya step back.

That was enough.

As long as those punks used poison, those two would be of no help.

They would only be a nuisance.

And it was the same for Sanghui and Yongcheon, who still lacked knowledge of poison.

He planned to face them alone.

But since it could be overwhelming, he had intended to call them out first.

It would be good if it worked, and if not, then not.

"Baihe!"

Cheonyeong shouts towards Baihe, beyond the warriors of the Black Scorpion Clan who were surrounding him at a distance.

"That punk!"

Uta's eyes shoot up, taking his smile as a mockery.

The enraged Uta shouts something, and the Black Scorpion Clan prepares their poison to attack again.

But.

"When are you going to stop hiding behind your subordinates? If you're a man, come out and face me yourself."

"Shut up, you punk!"

Uta immediately shouts at Cheonyeong's words.

But.

"Uta!"

"...?"

Baihe, who had been glaring at Cheonyeong, stops the Black Scorpion Clan.

"Step back."

"Pardon?"

"He is my opponent. Also, do not touch his companions until the fight is over."

"Young Chief!"

Although Uta raises his voice in protest.

"Uta."

"...?"

"Do I have to repeat myself?"

Uta flinches as Baihe's gaze turns cold, frowns, and sighs.

"Everyone... step back."

At Uta's command, the warriors of the Black Scorpion Clan look at each other with bewildered eyes, hesitate, and step back.

A tribe. For them, the command of their leader is absolute.

Even if the leader fought alone and died, they had to obey the command to the end.

Because his command was the law that all of the Black Scorpion Clan had to follow.

"Keuk, I don't know what you're babbling about, but I know what you're trying to do."

Cheonyeong smirks, looking at Baihe who had come down from his seat and was approaching him after talking in the language of the Black Scorpion.

The provocation had worked.

Although he couldn't understand his words, wasn't the fighting spirit emanating from Baihe's body telling him?

Also, as if creating an arena, the Black Scorpion Clan was stepping back and forming a circle.

The good thing was that they didn't try to restrain the members of the Tang Family's estate and Baekta.

"Man from the Central Plains."

Baihe, who had stopped at a certain distance, looks at Cheonyeong and conveys his meaning in the language of the Central Plains.

"It's Cheonyeong."

"..."

"Just as your name is Baihe, my name is Cheonyeong. Call me that."

Baihe smirks at Cheonyeong's confident correction.

"Cheonyeong, the family head of the Tang Family's estate."

"..."

"You are a warrior."

"Is that a compliment?" 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"It is a compliment."

"I don't know where to put myself."

Although Cheonyeong laughed sarcastically, Baihe was not offended in the slightest.

"Rather than escaping, you created a wind and blew it away... you seem to know how to deal with poison well."

"I studied hard. Depending on how it's used, poison can be a very useful weapon."

"Unexpected. Most of the Central Plains people I've met said that poison is cowardly."

"Everyone says that. Cowardly and despicable. But so what?"

"..."

"Let them express themselves as they please. I'd rather choose cowardice than lose a fight with a weapon they don't consider cowardly, get hurt and become a cripple, and grieve over the death of my family members. That's me, the Tang family, and the path the Tang Family's estate will take."

Baihe slowly nods his head at Cheonyeong's words.

This person was different from other Central Plains people.

Unlike them, who considered the people of Yunnan who used poison as lowly barbarians...

"I like it."

"What?"

"Your thoughts, I like them."

"..."

"I'll give you a chance. Central Plains man, no, Tang family head Cheonyeong."

"A chance?"

"Yes, a chance."

"Keuk keuk, keuk keuk keuk."

"..."

Baihe frowns slightly as Cheonyeong suddenly bursts out laughing.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because it's funny."

"What?"

"You seem to be seriously mistaken about something. A chance is a favor that the strong bestows upon the weak."

"..."

"Do I look that weak to you?"

Baihe wears a faint smile as Cheonyeong reveals his white, sparkling teeth through his thinly parted lips.

"It seems you misunderstood."

"Misunderstood?"

"I have already acknowledged you as a warrior. For a warrior, being strong or weak is not important. Because a warrior always does his best in all situations."

"..."

"The chance I'm talking about is about the end."

"The end?"

"Yes. The end."

"What kind of end are you talking about?"

"You will fight me as a warrior versus a warrior."

"..."

"And regardless of the result, this matter will be concluded."

"Regardless of the outcome of the fight?"

"That's right."

"..."

"Because I have acknowledged you as a warrior. The Black Scorpion Clan will not impose any restrictions on your companions after this fight."

"..."

"Of course, you could die in this fight."

"Die?"

"Because I am stronger than you think."

Cheonyeong wears a fed-up expression as Baihe smiles, revealing his confidence.

This tattooed punk... is looking down on me.

"Do you not think that you could die?"

"Absolutely not."

"What?"

"I'll say it again, I am strong."

His expression, his tone, he's a punk who's really proud of his skills.

I'm strong too! You punk!

Cheonyeong, who had suppressed the urge to say that, calms his mind and says to Baihe.

"Alright. If those are the conditions. But before we fight, I have a condition too."

"Speak."

"If you lose, apologize."

"Apologize?"

"Yes. Whether the Black Scorpion Clan's law was broken in the land of the Black Scorpion Clan or not, it's none of my business."

"..."

"You harassed my family member, oppressed them with a large group, injured them, and detained them."

"..."

"As a family head, I must address this issue. However, since it arose from a mutual misunderstanding, if you apologize, I will not make an issue of it anymore. Of course, you know that compensation is separate, right?"

Baihe thinks for a moment at Cheonyeong's words and then nods his head.

"Alright. Let's do that. Although it won't happen, if you defeat me, I will apologize. I will also compensate."

Uta, who knew the language of the Central Plains, shouts at Baihe's agreement.

The two exchange a few words in a language he can't understand, and Uta, who had gritted his teeth, glares at Cheonyeong as if he would eat him.

I can roughly guess now.

-Young Chief! What are you saying? Apologize to a mere Central Plains man! That's absurd.

-Uta, it is my decision to acknowledge him as a warrior.

-Young Chief!

-Don't argue anymore.

It must have been a conversation like that.

"Your subordinate seems to have a lot of complaints."

"It can't be helped. The word 'apology' doesn't suit me."

"What? It doesn't suit you?"

"The chief and young chief of the Black Scorpion do not apologize. Because that word itself is the law."

"Heh..."

He couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.

What kind of law is that?

But.

"Alright. Just as the Tang family follows the law of the Tang family, you guys are trying to follow your law, so I have no reason to argue."

"..."

"Now, then, shall we begin?"

"Let's."

As Cheonyeong takes his stance, Baihe draws his sword from the scabbard hanging at his hip.

Sa-ga-gak.

A strange sound is made as the sword leaves its leather sheath.

A gently curved sword.

A cold killing intent seeps out.

It seems Baihe's warning that he could die was not just a bluff.

No, it seems he really intends to kill.

And then.

"...He's strong."

Cheonyeong smiles, his face slightly grimacing.

Even though there was quite a distance, Baihe's fighting spirit pierced his clothes and reached his skin.

It was a feeling different from anyone he had ever met.

As if he were facing an untamed wild beast...

Cheonyeong, who had barely stopped his hand from reaching for his hidden weapons, grips his sword.

Seu-reu-reung.

In contrast to Baihe's, the straight-bladed sword emits a sharp momentum.

"I'll give it my all, Baihe."

U-u-ung!

As Cheonyeong infuses his true qi, the sword trembles for a moment and then stops.

A bluish energy appears, and the sword, as if it had adapted to Cheonyeong's qi, stops trembling.

Soon, the energy emanating from Cheonyeong's body pushes back Baihe's fighting spirit.

A smile forms on Baihe's lips at the weight of the force that collides fiercely.

It was a completely opposite energy to his own.

Neat, and heavy.

Cheonyeong's energy was frighteningly sharp, like a sword that had been perfectly forged after a long time of polishing.

Baihe, who was enjoying the feeling of his body shivering, bursts out laughing.

"Keuk keuk, as expected, my eyes are accurate. You were a warrior."

"You too have a momentum worthy of boasting of your strength, Baihe."

The two's energies collide violently without any concession.

Like a taut rubber band that could snap at any moment, the extremely tense atmosphere made the onlookers swallow their dry saliva without a break.

Hwii-i-i.

A gust of wind digs in between the two.

Pa-ang!

As if that were the signal, the two, without anyone going first, kick the ground and swing their swords at each other with all their might.

Kwa-a-a-ang!

The sword and the sword collide, and the qi and the qi collide and explode.

Kwang! Kwa-kwang! Kwang!

Although they could have retreated from the impact, the two immediately continue to clash without any leeway.

(End of Chapter)